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St Johnstone and Hamilton Academical contested a goalless stalemate on a poor McDiarmid Park surface.

With star striker and Rangers target Michael O'Halloran rested, the draw was the fifth successive game in which Saints have failed to score.

The dominant hosts saw Graham Cummins and Craig Thomson miss in either half.

Carlton Morris hacked John Sutton's late header off the line. Accies lie level on points with 11th-placed Kilmarnock, with a game in hand.

The match survived a morning pitch inspection and both teams struggled on the heavy surface, prolonging their winless respective runs - five for Saints, seven for Accies.

There was a glaring omission in the Saints' starting line-up with manager Tommy Wright admitting O'Halloran was not mentally ready for the match amid speculation he is on the brink of a move to Rangers.

Accies player-boss Martin Canning had considered selecting himself, though a midweek training ground knock ruled him out of a side embarrassed by bottom tier Annan Athletic in the Scottish Cup a week ago.

The visitors started like they meant business with Greg Docherty's deflected effort going wide.

Saints went close with MacLean's header flashing just over and Cummins ought to have done better with a shot after a clever dummy by Murray Davidson.

As a poor first half wore on, Saints began to control proceedings without putting Accies keeper Michael McGovern under much duress.

As he had done at the start of the half, Docherty from distance again, this time forcing the first save of the match from Alan Mannus.

It took till beyond the hour mark for any kind of second half action of note as both sides had attempts.

Wotherspoon and Darian MacKinnon traded shots which both went wide before Thomson - on his first Saints start volleyed over.

Accies looked unperturbed by last week's meek capitulation the longer the match wore on and Gramoz Kurtaj spurned an opportunity after cutting in from the wing but his effort was blocked on the line.

Sub Carlton Morris headed just over as the visitors pressed for a winner, and both teams had hand-ball penalty appeals turned down by referee Andrew Dallas.

Firstly Steven Anderson blocked a cross ball before a John Sutton flick appeared to bounce off the arm of Ziggy Gordon in the opposite penalty area - the St Johnstone argument looked the stronger of the two.

Sub Sutton thought he had scored and but for Gordon's goal-line intervention he probably would have done as the clock ticked down.

There will be a frustration from both sides that victory eluded them with Accies having now won just once in their last 13, though they do at least move a point further away from Dundee United at the bottom of the Premiership.